And if a nightingale [1] soar beyond the clay of self and
dwell in the rose bower of the heart, and in Arabian melodies and sweet Persian
tones recount the mysteries of God—a single word whereof quickeneth anew every
lifeless form and bestoweth the spirit of holiness upon every mouldering
bone—thou wilt behold a thousand claws of envy and a myriad talons of hatred
hunting after Him and striving with all their power to encompass His death.
(The Seven Valleys)… O My friend! Many a hound hunteth this gazelle of the
desert of oneness; many an eagle pursueth this nightingale of the garden of
eternity. Ravens of hatred lie in wait for this bird of the heavens of God, and
the huntsman of envy stalketh this deer of the meadow of love. (The Four
Valleys) - Baha’u’llah (‘The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys’, revised
translations, Baha’i World Center website; earlier translations were included
in ‘The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, Crisis and Victory’)
[1] This refers to Bahá'u'lláh's own Manifestation, footnote
from ‘The Compilation of Compilations’)
